Bihar has just 9 cases of polio

From 117 cases reported in 2009, Bihar has recorded just nine  in 2010. Out of nine, three are of P1-type, while the rest six are P3-type which have been detected in Begusarai and Samastipur districts.

“The three P1-type polio cases are imports from Nepal, as they have been detected in Dhaka in East Champaran district, bordering Nepal,” said executive director of the Bihar State Health Society Sanjay Kumar. “All the three cases were detected in January, but after introducing bivalent oral polio vaccine, which protects against both P1 and P3 virus, no fresh case has been reported,” he added.

According to reports, in 2010, India has recorded 41 polio cases across the country out of which 19 have been reported from UP and Bihar. Jharkhand ranks third with eight polio cases detected in the State.

What is polio

Polio is a crippling disease caused by a virus that invades the nervous system through mouth (faecal-oral route) and causes paralysis within hours. It affects children under five years of age. While P1-type is the most deadly one, P3-type of polio virus is less dreadful. There is a substantial decrease in P3-type cases. Out of 626 cases detected in India in 2009, UP reported 538 and Bihar 76 P3-type of polio virus.